Zimbabweans claim they don't have money but fill up church drums with money, says Mugabe

President Robert Mugabe has castigated politicians who frequent self-styled prophets to consult on party positions after the 2018 elections saying they were putting themselves up for daylight robbery.

President Mugabe was addressing people who thronged the National Heroes Acre for the burial of the late veteran nationalist Mr. Don Kwayedza Muvuti who passed on in Harare.

Mr Muvuti was 89.

"Fortunately, in this era, most people are educated but surprisingly the same educated people and politicians are among those who pay money to prophets in form of tithes and offerings. Some politicians go to these prophets and ask them if their (politicians) positions are to change in the next year elections. They (politicians) are then asked to pay offerings."

President Mugabe blamed prophets for fanning division in the party through fake prophecies.

"These prophets will then tell a certain politician that he or she is going to be a vice president in the near future and commence to celebrate thinking he or she is going to inherit high positions in Zanu-PF and this gives one the courage to threaten others, with even death, thus fuelling violence in the ruling party," said President Mugabe.

He said most prophets pretend to be men of God and take unsuspecting people's hard earned cash.

"Our people claim they do not have money but I heard at some churches drums get filled with money during offering collections," he said.

He said people are deceived by biblical scriptures which say, a day shall come when everyone will become rich despite one's background and he believe such are lies.

President Mugabe also took a swipe at factionalism within his party, which he said, has resulted in plots to kill each other and urged people to be united and emulate the good work that was done by the late veteran nationalist Muvuti.

President Mugabe described Muvuti as an education-oriented and hardworking man who was loyal to the party and who worked tirelessly for the Party in pre and post independence.

He said the late Muvuti was instrumental in the revolutionary struggle and his writings contributed much in instilling ideologies of an independent Zimbabwe in people's minds.

"Cde Muvuti dedicated his life for the Party from the time he left school until his death. He was always busy as he wrote everyday about the history of the Party without anyone telling him what to write. We want his works, in its various publications, to be compiled and sent to the national library for archiving. We want his legacy preserved so it can be read by future generations," said President Mugabe.

Muvuti, a former Zimpapers Group Board member and ZANU PF National Consultative Assembly (NCA) member, died at West End Hospital after battling illness for some time.

By the time of his untimely death he was still a member of the ruling Zanu Pf party's Department of Information and Publicity and a proof-reader-cum writer at the Party's mouthpiece The People's Voice. He is survived by wife, Deliwe, eight children and 17 grandchildren.